The detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has again received his legal team while in the custody of the Department of State Service (DSS) and expressed optimism that the terrorism charges preferred against him by the Federal Government would be quashed by Court of Appeal.
The legal team, on a routine visit granted by the Federal High Court, was led by Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN) and Ifeanyi Ejiofor who were accompanied by some of Kanu’s family members.
The visit was to give the detained Biafra nation agitator, feedback on the Court of Appeal’s proceedings of September 13 where the legal team prayed the Appellate Court to dismiss the remaining seven charges of terrorism and treasonable felony against him.
A statement released by Ejiofor after the visit said that Kanu was in high spirits and confident that the Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja would discharge and acquit him from the terrorism charges.
The lawyer, in the statement, hinted that Kanu is very optimistic that “the trial phase is gradually coming to an end”.
The statement reads in part, “Kanu was enthused by the accounts of the advocacy and submissions of Chief Ozekhome during the proceeding, happy with the panel of Justices and was completely convinced that justice is already in the offing
“He unequivocally reiterated his abiding confidence in his dogged legal team, who have always been up to the daunting task”.
Kanu had on September 13 prayed the Court of Appeal in Abuja to review the April 8 ruling of the Federal High Court which struck out only eight out of the 15-count charge and upheld seven charges against him.
In his appeal dated April 29 and marked CA/ABJ/CR/625/2022, Kanu insisted that the treasonable felony charges against him have no basis in law and applied to be discharged and acquitted by the Court of Appeal.
Ozekhome who argued the appeal on his behalf urged the appellate court to order his release from DSS solitary confinement.
Kanu’s grouse was that the charge gave unlawful global jurisdiction to the high court and that it also failed to disclose the location or date the alleged offences were committed.
A 3-man panel of the Court of Appeal led by Justice Jummai Hanatu has however reserved judgment in the appeal till a date that would be communicated to the parties involved.